Like fragments of overheard conversations, the thousands of informal
inscriptions scratched and painted on potsherds, tiles, and other
objects give us a unique insight into the everyday life of the Athenian
Agora. Some are marks of ownership, or the notes of merchants, but many
are sexual innuendos, often accompanied by graphic illustrations. Using
her wide contextual knowledge, the author suggests why these scraps of
sentences were written, and what they can tell us about one of the first
widely literate societies.